Lessons from Riding a Bicycle

Life is a beautiful ride, even while you’re learning:

One of the most exciting thing a child will learn; is how to ride a bicycle. This marks one of the first steps of independence to a child, that will have a lasting memory. They might even have a few scars to show for it:)

Where I’m from having a bicycle was not considered a rite of passage for most children. This was a luxury compared to buying a doll or a toy truck. Therefore only those with large disposable incomes would indulge their kids. I never learned to ride one and I never had an interest in learning how to.

Recently, I was at a friend’s house and he had one in his garage. I felt the urge to ride even though I didn’t know how to. I’ve always thought of myself as a fast learner so I felt I would quickly learn how to maneuver the bike. As soon as I psyched myself up, a bit of fear came over me. I didn’t want to fall off and I wasn’t sure that wouldn’t happen.

“Are you scared?” He asked. “Nope…I’m just sizing this thing up to see how I will tackle it,” I replied (Lies and deception). I was scared. I asked him to lower the seat and make a few other adjustments for me, which he did. I couldn’t back out now, I had to do this.

As I put the helmet and knee pads on, I began to prepare myself mentally. Even if I fall I would be ok. Even if I scraped my knee, I will be ok. Even if the neighbors thought I looked silly, I will be ok. I was feeling adventurous and nothing was going to stop me. Haha.

I positioned myself on the bike and started off. However, after a few mishaps, I realized that it was more difficult than I thought. I wasn’t able to keep my balance and I spent more time walking with it than riding it. Truth is, I was paying too much attention to the bike itself and my current position with it. That was my main focus and it wouldn’t get me very far. Well, it wasn’t getting me anywhere because I was barely moving.

I was becoming frustrated and started to rethink my capabilities. Self-doubt came over me real quick. Was I a really fast learner? I believed this to be true for a long time. Was I wrong? Kids do this every day with such ease, why couldn’t I? Should I throw in the towel? Maybe I’m too old for this.

My friend saw me struggling and called out to me. He said, “Tamara, stop looking at where you are and look at where you’re going.” At first, I wondered how I was going to do that. Didn’t I need to watch my footwork at least until I got both feet on the pedals and the bike was steady? Honestly, I wasn’t too sure about his instruction but I decided to follow anyway. He was the one who knew how to ride. I positioned myself on the bicycle again, focused ahead and started off! I kid you not, that was all it took! I was no longer worried about finding the pedal and somehow my feet just knew where they were. I was riding that bicycle like a pro.

I pondered on what he had said and why it worked. What if we were to apply this rule to our life in general? What if we were to stop worrying about where we were and focused on where we were going? I think we would have a very different approach to life. One that would cause us to worry less about our current problems and think more about what we have to look forward to based on the work we are doing now. I was getting frustrated and doubting myself all because my focus was wrong.

In life, we have We have to be careful about what we chose to focus on. Our current situation will leave us frustrated when we dwell on it. Instead, accept it for what it is, look towards your future and put the work required to get there. Ask for help if you need to and heed the advice of those who’ve been there before. I know this can be hard, especially when the present seems daunting, but we have to – our future depends on it. We cannot allow our present circumstances to be a distraction.We cannot allow ourselves to give into the fears of today.

I thought I was learning to ride a bicycle that day, but what I learned was so much more. So what can riding a bicycle teach us?

CONQUER YOUR FEARS! – You have to take this first step and decide to give it a try. Give life a try. Do the things that your heart desires that have been hindered by your fears.

BE RESILIENT! – No matter how many times you fall off, brush yourself off and get back on. You only lose when you stop trying. The end crowns the work and once you keep going, you still have a chance.

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One thought on “Lessons from Riding a Bicycle”

These are excellent advises Tamara!
Trusting myself is new and uncomfortable situations have always been a challenge to me.
But I’ve learned to remember how I got through those others times I doubted.
What we focus on is the difference between staying where we are and moving forward.
All we have to do is put in the work just for today.
Great post!